The present invention relates to an attachment which can be fitted to an existing vehicle, either powered or non powered, or a vehicle chassis, said attachment having a tray which is adapted to be raised and lowered from a transport position to a ground engaging loading position.
Standard vehicles such as vans and trucks have been used for the transportation of cargo. However, because of the height of the tray or bed above the ground, loading, unloading and positioning of cargo can be difficult, especially with heavy objects.
Forklifts and ramps have been used. But these have their disadvantages such as costs and availability at sites.
Attempts have been made to overcome these problems by providing a modified U-shaped chassis with the rear wheels attached by means of stub axles, and an adjustable tray connected by parallelogram linkages between the arms of the chassis, to be raised and lowered between a ground engaging loading position and a raised transport position. Further attempts have used a modified U-shaped chassis with the rear wheels attached by means of stub axles, and a tilting tray connected between the arms of the chassis.
These attempts require an completely modified chassis with the resultant costs. With some vehicles and usage such an expense cannot be justified.
Other attempts to overcome this problem involve the use of lifting tailgates. However these are not always suitable because of the method of attachment and the operation of the tailgate external of the vehicle.